See the Stars of ‘Hocus Pocus’ Then and Now

Ahhhh, ‘Hocus Pocus’ — the story of three evil (singing and dancing) witches who like to eat children and sometimes also turn them into cats. They are temporarily resurrected by a kid trying to impress a lady, and then they make everyone dance, Dance, DANCE! Since this is a Disney movie, eventually the day is saved and they all lived happily ever after. But did the cast follow suit in real life? See what the stars of ‘Hocus Pocus’ are up to today.

Omri Katz, Max Dennison

YouTube

Then: Omri Katz had already made a name for himself when he appeared in ‘Hocus Pocus,’ having a part in ‘Dallas,’ as well as the main role in ‘Eerie, Indiana.’ He was 17 when the movie was released.

Now: Katz’s only major work after ‘Hocus Pocus’ was a role on ‘The John Larroquette Show,’ which ended in 1995. He had small parts in a few random TV episodes and then seemingly retired from acting to live in Israel. The “now” photo is a screengrab from a short film he did six years ago called “The Perfect Girl,” which is on YouTube and NSFW and will probably destroy your childhood.

Thora Birch, Dani

YouTube/John Shearer, Getty Images

Then: Before she did ‘Hocus Pocus,’ Thora had been in a few television shows — ‘Day by Day’ and ‘Parenthood’ — and also played Harrison Ford’s daughter in ‘Patriot Games’ and ‘Clear and Present Danger.’

Now: After ‘Hocus Pocus,’ Birch went on to star in several of everybody’s favorite childhood movies, including ‘Monkey Trouble’ and ‘Now and Then.’ Later, she had roles in ‘Ghost World’ and ‘American Beauty.’ Currently things have slowed down somewhat, with her most recent role being a pregnant wife in ‘Petunia.’ She also earned a bit of tabloid press after she was fired off an Off Broadway version of ‘Dracula’ after her dad got into a fight with another actor in the production.

Vinessa Shaw, Allison

YouTube/Araya Diaz, Getty Images

Then: Before appearing in ‘Hocus Pocus,’ Shaw was in ‘Ladybugs,’ everybody’s favorite Rodney Dangerfield movie about soccer. After that she had a number of parts in small independent films until being cast as an HIV-positive prostitute in ‘Eyes Wide Shut.’

Now: You might recognize Shaw from ’3:10 to Yuma,’ or perhaps ‘The Hills Have Eyes.’ Most recently she was in ‘Big Miracle,’ that Drew Barrymore / John Krasinski movie about the whales that you probably didn’t see.

Larry Bagby, ‘Ice’

YouTube/Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Then: Before ‘Hocus Pocus,’ you probably hadn’t seen Larry Bagby, unless you were a voracious fan of ‘Mr. Belvedere,’ or ‘thirtysomething.’ After ‘Hocus Pocus,’ Bagby served as a missionary in Argentina for two years, and then came back and had numerous roles on television shows, including the part of Larry Blaisedell, the gay jock on ‘Buffy.’

Now: Bagby played Marshall Grant in ‘Walk the Line,’ and he was also a recurring character for 12 episodes of ‘The Young and the Restless.’ Oh, and a song he wrote was featured on ‘Cold Case.’ Here he is performing it:

Tobias Jelinek, Jay

YouTube/IMDB

Then: Jelinek’s performance as Ice’s bully-in-arms Jay was his first foray into film acting. After that he played a member of a motorcycle gang in ‘Batman and Robin’ four years later.

Now: Jelinek has mostly done short films and currently works in theater in Los Angeles, where he took up the role of Bodhi for ‘Point Break Live.’ He will soon be playing the T-2000 in ‘Terminator Too Judgement Play,’ which apparently provides audience members with free beer and a poncho to protect their outfits from blood splatter. Awesome.

Bette Midler, Winifred ‘Winnie’ Sanderson

YouTube/Jason Kempin, Getty Images

Then: At the time, Midler was the biggest star of ‘Hocus Pocus,’ having earned several Golden Globe nominations and two Academy Award nominations (for ‘The Rose’ and ‘For the Boys’).

Now: Midler has since received four Grammy nominations and made appearances in ‘Drowning Mona,’ ‘The Stepford Wives’ and ‘The Women,’ to name just a few of her numerous film and television appearances.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Sarah Sanderson

YouTube/Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images

Then: SJP had already played the lead role of ‘Annie’ on Broadway, was co-lead of a TV show (‘Square Pegs’), and had made appearances in ‘Footloose,’ ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,’ and ‘Flight of the Navigator.’

Now: Sarah Jessica Parker is best-known for playing Carrie Bradshaw on HBO’s ‘Sex and the City,’ which netted her four Golden Globes, two Emmys and three SAG awards. She has said she would never do a television show. You can see her on the current season of ‘Glee.’

Kathy Najimy, Mary Sanderson

YouTube/Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images

Then: Prior to ‘Hocus Pocus,’ Najimy was Sister Mary Patrick in ‘Sister Act’ and ‘Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.’

Now: Kathy Najimy provided the voice of Peggy Hill for the TV show ‘King of the Hill’ for its 13 seasons. She was also named ‘Ms. Magazine’s’ woman of the year in 2005, probably because she keeps winning game shows (‘The Weakest Link,’ ‘Celebrity Poker Showdown,’ ‘CBS Gameshow Marathon’) and donating the proceeds to charities that help women and girls around the world.

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